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Armenia is considered one of the cradles of civilization - the country with rich and centuries-long history. On the territory of Armenia you can come across numerous ancient and medieval historical and cultural monuments.

Before the beginning of the 20th century /1915 Armenian Genocide/ the term “Armenia’ referred to the whole Armenian Highland where originated the Armenian nation with its history. The Armenian Highland together with Asia Minor and Iranian Plateau is considered the ancestral home of Indo-European nations.

During the excavations of the Hittite capital, the information on ancient Hayasa state / BC 2nd millennium/ has been found, while the Assyrian cuneiform inscriptions give information on Urartian people and powerful Kingdom of Urartu, which covered the the entire Armenian Highland. The Fortress of Erebuni /BC 782/ was built during the era of Urartu Kingdom /Ararat Kingdom/ from which originates Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Armenia is the first state to which officially adopted Christianity as its state religion in AD 301-303. In 405 Mesrop Mashtots created the Armenian alphabet which marked the beginning of the formation of the Armenian writing and literature, thus, protecting the Armenian people from merging with other nations.

In the 11th century the Principality of Cilicia was established with joint efforts of several Armenian principalities on the North-Eastern Coast of Mediterranean Sea. In the 12th century it was declared as an independent Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia which existed till the 14th century.

In the Middle Ages Armenia became the platform for Persian and Byzantine clashes, while in the modern period, starting from the 15th century, it was the arena for Persian and Turkish clashes. In 1828, as a result of Russian-Turkish war, the Eastern part of Armenia-Eastern Armenia joint to Russia, while the Western Armenia remained under the Turkish dictatorship.

In May, 1918, on the territory of Eastern Armenia, the first Republic of Armenia was established, which existed till November, 1920 when the power was handed over to the Bolsheviks. Armenia became a Soviet Republic of Armenia - the part of USSR.

In 1991, as a result of referendum, Armenia was proclaimed an independent republic, which paves the way for the establishment and development of the Republic of Armenia.

The present Republic of Armenia is located in the Northern part of Western Asia - on the North-West of the Armenian Highland. On the North it borders with Georgia, on the East with Azerbaijan, on the South-East with Republic of Artsakh, on the South with Iran and on the West with Turkey. The territory is 29,800 square kilometers; the capital is Yerevan with the population of 1.5 million.

The highest mountain of Armenia is Aragats (4090 m): There are more than 100 lakes in Armenia; Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in Eurasia, which is located 1900m above sea level. More than 215 rivers flow through this country.

Armenia has a rich and unique flora and fauna. There are around 3200 plant species of which 106 are endemic. From the fauna one can meet rare species of birds and animals, wild goat, mouflon, Syrian Brown Bear, etc.

Armenia is the land of Armenians, the nation which has conquered the right to live under this sky by its centuries-long struggles and endurance.

The history of Yerevan

Yerevan is the capital of the Republic of Armenia. It is situated on the bank of Hrazdan River in Ararat Valley. The population is about 1.5 million.

Yerevan is more than 2793 years old.

In the 9 th century BC the Kingdom of Van or Ararat Kingdom (Urartu) wasfounded near Lake Van, in the Armenian Highlands. In 782 BC King Argishti

A founded Erebuni fortress.

The exact date of the foundation of the fortress is known due to thecuneiform inscriptions of King Argishti found during the excavations.

By the greatness of the God Khaldi, Argishti, son of Menua, built this mighty stronghold and proclaimed it Erebuni for the glory of Biainili (Urartu) and to instill fear among the king's enemies.

Over the centuries the city remained firm, passing through many tragedies and hardships, being the target for attacks by the Assyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Arabs, Turks.

On May 28, 1918, when the independence of Armenia is proclaimed, Yerevan becomes the capital.

There are medieval churches on the territory of Yerevan (Saint Katoghike and Saint Zoravar churches founded in the 13 th century).

The construction works of current Yerevan, the capital of the Republic of Armenia, began in 1924 based on the general plan of renowned architect Alexander Tamanyan.

Yerevan is rich in architectural monuments. There are numerous museums, including the Museum of History of Armenia and National Gallery of Armenia, where one can find exclusive samples of the Armenian history, literature and art.

Matenadaran is also located in Yerevan, where over 100 000 ancient Armenian, as well as foreign books and manuscripts are exhibited.

On the hill of Tsitsernakaberd stands the memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, while in Victory Park is the monument of "Mother Armenia".

In the heart of Yerevan is an exceptional architectural sample, Opera and Ballet State Academic Theatre.

Traditional Wushu Federation of Armenia

In 1992, a group of Wushu specialists sharing the same vision established the Traditional Wushu Federation of Armenia. The founders of the federation had the aim to develop and spread a famous martial art in its full essence in Armenia bypassing the religious component of Wushu. The enthusiasts succeeded in implementing this idea.

Wushu is the unification of military science, art and philosophy. Wushu /武 Wu 术 Shu means “to prevent the usage of weapons through mastery”/ contributed to the development of such arts as calligraphy, painting, gunsmithing, theater, poetry and music. One of the most famous tracts of Wushu is as follows: “The master of Wushu shall have an equal command of brush and sword, should know poetry, calligraphy and music”.

The other important component of Wushu is the Recrational Wushu which has been officially adopted by the Traditional Medicine.

The founders of Traditional Wushu Federation of Armenia, Tigran Chobanyan, Vardan Ohanyan, Armen Samuelyan and Victor Baghdasaryan have thought that it is unacceptable to develop Wushu only in one direction. Today, there are fighting, sporting and recreational Wushu coteries in Armenia.

Starting from 1993, the Federation launched “Monte Melkonyan Memorial Tournament”. Gradually increasing the level of physical proficiency of the athletes, in 1995 official as well as international championships commenced to take place on a regular basis in Armenia.

In 1997 the Federation has been recognized by the National Olympic Committee; in September it was as well recognized by the International Wushu Federation. In October, 1997, the Armenian Wushu team for the first time participated in the 4 th World Wushu Championship taking place in Rome. In 1998 the Federation was also recognized by the European Wushu Federation. Thus, the team started to take part in all European and World Wushu championships.

In 1998-2000, taking part in “the International Tournament of 26 strong teams” in the US, Wushu athletes celebrated spectacular victories, thus gaining much experience. Starting from 2000 the Armenian athletes have been returning home with gold, silver and bronze medals from the European and World Championships.

Here is the list of medals earned by the athletes of the Federation

2000 European Championship: 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze

2001 World Championship: 1 gold, 3 bronze

2002 European Championship: 1 gold, 1 bronze

2004 European Championship: 1 gold, 1 bronze

2005 World Championship: 1 silver

2006 European Championship: 2 silver, 2 bronze

2007 World Championship: the right to participate in 2008 Olympic Games

2008 European Championship: 1 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze

2009 World Cup: 3 gold, 1 silver

2010 European Championship: 2 gold, 8 bronze

2011 World Championship: 1 silver

2012 European Championship: 2 gold, 2 silver, 8 bronze

2013 World Championship: 1 bronze

2014 Youth World Championship: 1 gold

In 1998, Tigran Chobanyan (the president of the Federation) and Serzh Sargsyan (the honorable president of the Federation, as well as RA President) decided to fight for holding World Wushu Championship in Armenia. As a result of 4-year- long struggle, in 2001 for the first time in the sport history of Armenia the 6 th World Wushu Championship was organized in Yerevan, which had a spectacular success. It should be mentioned, that the World Championships are taking place every two years.

Currently, the Traditional Wushu Federation is operating not only in the large cities of the regions of Armenia but also in the bordering villages, in particular, official championships are organized in such bordering villages of Tavush region as Zoratan, Artsvaberd and Chinari.

The athletes of the Federation have taken part in various charity and other events organized in the city. It has become a tradition to hold an international championship dedicated to the Memory of the Armenian Genocide (has been held for 12 times). The championship takes place on April 24, hus making the greatest crime of the 20 th century cognizable to foreign participants.

The traditional Wushu Federation of Armenia, the International Wushu Federation and its other member federations jointly struggle for Wushu to become the Olympic sport. The results of that struggle become tangible. During the Olympic Games taking place in Beijing, demonstrative Wushu

championship was held; the participants were awarded with the medals and certificates of International Olympic Committee.

Each year, the Federation organizes RA Championships, festivals of Wushu and Martial Arts.

The Traditional Wushu Federation of Armenia officially has around 3000 athletes on the territory of Armenia. Annually, the Federation holds 4 republican tournaments. The honorable President of the Traditional Wushu Federatio of Armenia is Serzh Sargsyan, the President of the Republic of Armenia.

Due to its activities, the Federation has always had a leading role in our country. That is why in all sport institutions it is highly respected and treated in an honorable manner. The specialists of the Federation are highly qualified and as a result of these qualities, the team of Wushu is always returning home with medals from the European and World competitions, defeating the representatives of such superpowers as China, Russia, Iran and the like.